In some Christian movements, especially in evangelicals, to be born again, or experiencing a new birth, is a popular phrase that refers to "spiritual rebirth", or regeneration of the human spirit of the Holy Spirit, in contrast to physical birth.
In contemporary Christian usage, this term differs from a sometimes similar term used in mainstream Christianity to refer to being or becoming a Christian, associated with baptism. Individuals who claim to be "born again" often claim that they have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. The phrase "born again" is also used as an adjective to describe each member of the movement that supports this belief, as well as the movement itself ("reborn Christians" and "rebirth movement").
Video Born again
Origin
This term comes from an event in the New Testament where the words of Jesus were not understood by a Jewish Pharisee, Nicodemus.
Jesus replied, "I really tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again." "How can a person be born when they are old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely they can not enter a second time into their mother's womb to be born!" Jesus replied, "I really tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit."
The Greek phrase in the text is ambiguous, producing a word game where "reborn" was given as "born from above" in some translations like NET and NRSV.
The King James Version uses the phrase reborn three times, two of which in chapter 3 of the Gospel of John when Jesus spoke to Nicodemus.
The Gospel of John is written in Greek, and the word translated as again is ?????? ( ÃÆ'¡n? t? en ), which could mean more , or from above . The New Revised Standard Version prefers this last translation, and both the King James Version and the Revised Version give it an alternative in margin. Hoskyn argues that it is preferred as a fundamental meaning and he draws attention to phrases such as "the birth of the Spirit (span> v.5 )", "born of God (cf. Jn 1: 12-13 ; 1Jn 2:29 , 3: 9 , 4: 7 , 5:18 ) " but to maintain that it always carries an emphasis on the novelty of life as given by God Himself.
The last use of this phrase occurs in the First Letter of Peter, which is translated in King James Version as:
Seeing you have purified your soul in obeying the truth through the Spirit to the faithful love of the brethren, [see that you] love one another with a truly pure heart:/Born again, not from a mortal seed, but from imperfection, by the word of God, who lives and lives forever. [1 Peter 1: 22-23]
Here, the Greek word translated as "born again" is the Greek text "> span lang =" el "title =" text "> ??????????????? ( anagegenn? mÃÆ' Â © noi ).
Interpretation
The traditional Jewish understanding of the promise of salvation is interpreted as rooted in "the seed of Abraham"; namely, the physical lineage of Abraham. Jesus explained to Nicodemus that this doctrine is wrong - that everyone must have two births - the natural birth of the physical body and the other from the water and the spirit. This sermon with Nicodemus proves Christian belief that all human beings - whether Jew or Gentile - must be "born again" from the spiritual seed of Christ. The Apostle Peter further strengthens this understanding in 1 Peter 1:23 . The Catholic Encyclopedia states that "[a] controversy exists in the primitive church over the interpretation of the expression of Abraham's seed." It is the teaching of [the Apostle Paul] in one instance that all that is Christ by faith is the descendant of Abraham, and is entitled to promise, but he is concerned, with the fact that the promise is not fulfilled to Abraham's descendants (referring to the Jews). "
Charles Hodge writes that "The subjective changes that are forged in the soul by the grace of God, set forth in Scripture" in terms like the new birth, the resurrection, the life new , new creations , renewing the mind , dying to sin and living to the truth , and translation from darkness to light .
Jesus uses the analogy of "birth" in tracing a new spiritual life to a divine beginning. Contemporary Christian theologians have given an explanation for "born from above" to be a more accurate translation of the original Greek word transliterated at the time. Theologian Frank Stagg cites two reasons why the more recent translation is significant:
- The emphasis "from above " (implying "from Heaven ") calls attention to the source of "newness of life". Stagg writes that the word "again" does not include a new source type source ;
- More than personal improvement is required. "the new destiny requires a new origin, and the new origin must come from God."
The earliest example of the term in its more modern use appears in John Wesley's sermons. In the sermon titled A New Birth he wrote, "no one can be holy unless he is born again", and "unless he is born again, no one can be happy even in this world. men should be unhappy unholy. "Also," I say, [man] can be born again and be the heir of salvation. " Wesley also states that the baptized baby is reborn, but for adults it is different:
our church thought that all who were baptized in their infancy were at the same time being reborn.... But... certainly all riper years, who are baptized, are at the same time not reborn.
The quotation from the Gospel of John has raised some questions about the meaning and authenticity of the phrase "born again". In this chapter, Nicodemus confused and asked Jesus what he meant by saying that "you must be born again". He asked: "How can a man go back to his mother's womb?" The scholar Bart D. Ehrman says that this confusion because in Greek (Gospel) the word again is ambiguous. This may mean again or a second time or from above , which will explain Nicodemus's confusion. However, the Jews of Jesus' day did speak Aramaic, where there would be no double meaning. Ehrman says that this raises the question of the authenticity of dialogue, the meaning of words, and, therefore, the use of phrases.
The nineteenth-century source noted that the phrase was not mentioned by any other evangelist, or by the Apostles except Peter. "It was not considered by one of the Evangelists but John is important enough to note." He added that without John, "we should not know that it is necessary for someone to be born again." This shows that "the text and context are meant to apply to Nicodemus in particular, and not to the world."
Maps Born again
denominational position
the Oxford Handbook on Religion and Politics of America notes: "GSS... has raised the question of being born again on three occasions... 'Do you say you have been' born again 'or have had a' born 'experience "The Handbook says that" Evangelicals, blacks, and Latin Protestants tend to respond equally, with about two-thirds of each group replying firmly.In contrast, only about a third of mainline Protestants and one sixth Catholics (Anglo and Latin) claims a born-again experience. "However, this handbook shows that" new born questions are bad actions even to capture evangelical responders...... it is possible that people who report born-again experiences also claim it as identity. "
Catholicism
The use of the term "reborn" in Catholicism to refer to Christian conversion is modern, perhaps evolving from the teachings of John Wesley and popularized in the service of 19th century revivalists such as Billy Sunday, and Dwight L. Moody. Individuals are encouraged to change their lives and 'come to Jesus'. Even with these early revivalists, the use of the term "regenerated" to describe this experience of repentance has not yet been widespread.
Historically, the classical text of John 3 was consistently interpreted by the early church fathers as a reference to baptism. Modern Catholic interpreters have noted that the phrase 'born from above' or 'born again' (John 3: 3) is clarified as 'born of water and the Spirit' (John 3: 5).
Catholic Commentator John F. McHugh noted, "Rebirth, and the start of this new life, is said to have happened" ????????????????????????????? ???? This phrase (without article), refers to the rebirth which the early Church considered to be the place through baptism (1 Pet 1.3, 23, Tit 3.5). "
The Catechism of the Catholic Church records that the essential elements of Christian initiation are: "the proclamation of the Word, the acceptance of the Gospel involving conversion, the profession of faith, the Baptism itself, and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and entering into the Eucharistic communion" (CCC 1229). Baptism gives the person a gift of forgiveness for all previous sins; it makes the newly baptized into a new creation and adopted child of God (2 Corinthians 5:17; 2 Peter 1: 4); it enters them into the Body of Christ (Ephesians 4:25) and creates a sacramental bond of unity that leaves an indelible mark on our souls (CCC 1262-1274). "Baptized into Christ by Baptism, the baptized is configured to Christ, the baptism sealing the Christian with the indelible spiritual mark of his possession to Christ.there is no sin that can erase this mark, even if sin prevents Baptism from bringing fruits of salvation, given once for all, Baptism can not be repeated "(CCC 1272). The Holy Spirit is involved with every aspect of the grace movement. "The first work of the grace of the Holy Spirit is repentance." Fueled by grace, man turns to God and is far from sin, thus receiving forgiveness and righteousness from above "(CCC 1989).
The Catholic Church also teaches that under special circumstances the need for water baptism can be replaced by the Holy Spirit in the 'baptism of desire', as when a catechumen dies or becomes martyred before receiving baptism (CCC 1260).
Pope John Paul II writes of "the problem of children baptized in infancy [coming] to catecheses in parishes without accepting other initiates into faith and still without explicit personal attachment to Jesus Christ" ( Catechesi Tradendae i> 19). He notes that "being a Christian means saying 'yes' to Jesus Christ, but let's remember that this 'yes' has two levels: It consists of surrendering to the word of God and relying on it, but it also means, at a later stage, know better - and better the profound meaning of this word "(CT 20).
The "born again" modern expression is really about the concept of "repentance".
The National Directory of Catechesis (published by the United States Bishops Conference, USCCB) defines conversion as, "the acceptance of a personal relationship with Christ, genuine adherence to it, and a willingness to adapt one's life to himself." More simply, "Repentance to Christ involves making a genuine commitment to him and a personal decision to follow him as his disciple."
Echoing the writings of Pope John Paul II, the National Directory of Catechesis illustrates the new intervention required by our modern world called "New Evangelization". New Evangelization is directed to the Church itself, to the baptized who has never been effectively evangelized before, to those who have never made a personal commitment to Christ and the Gospel, to those shaped by secular cultural values, for those who have lost their sense of faith , and to those who are alienated
Declan O'Sullivan, co-founder of the Catholic Men's Fellowship and Knight of Sovereign Military Order of Malta, wrote that "New Evangelization emphasizes personal encounters with Jesus Christ as a pre-requisite for spreading the Gospel.Reener experiences are not just high emotional, mystical, what really matters is what happens in the lives of converts after the moment or period of radical change. "
Lutheranism
The Lutheran Church argues that "we are cleansed of our sins and reborn and renewed in Holy Baptism by the Holy Spirit, but he also teaches that whoever is baptized must, through daily remorse and repentance, drown the Old Adam so that every day becomes new the risen and risen man who walks before God in righteousness and purity forever He teaches that anyone who lives in sin after his baptism has lost the grace of baptism. "
Anglicanism
The phrase reborn is mentioned in 39 Anglican Church Chapters in the XV article, entitled â € Å"Just Christ Without Sinâ €. As part of it, it says: "Sin, as S. John says, is not in Him, but we all others, though baptized and reborn in Christ, are offensive in many ways: and if we say we do not have sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. "
Although the phrase "being baptized and reborn in Christ" occurs in Chapter XV, the reference is clear in the scripture passage in John 3: 3. Surely it is out of date to re-read this modern understanding? The phrase consistently refers to baptism in the early Church.
Reformed
According to the regenerated Reformed churches it refers to "the inward work of the Spirit that encourages sinners to respond to effective calling". According to the Short-Term Catechism of Westminster, Q 88, "the external and ordinary means by which Christ communicates to us the benefits of redemption are His ordinances, especially words, sacraments, and prayers, all of which are made effective for the elect of salvation." Effective calling is "the work of the Spirit of God, in which, convincing us of our sins and tribulations, enlightening our minds in the knowledge of Christ, and renewing our will, persuading us and allowing us to embrace Jesus Christ, freely presented to us Gospel. "":
In Reformed theology, "regeneration precedes faith." Samuel Storms writes that, "Calvinists insist that the only cause of regeneration or rebirth is the will of God.God first sovereign and effective urination, and only as a consequence of that we act.Therefore, passive individuals in regeneration, herself or make herself accept what God will do Regeneration is a change that God does by us, not the autonomous actions that we do for ourselves. "
Methodism
In Methodism, "the new birth is necessary for salvation because it marks the movement toward holiness, it comes with faith." John Wesley, founder of the Methodist Church, argues that the New Birth "is a great change that God does in the soul when he brings it into life, when he raises it from the death of sin to the life of righteousness" ( Works , vol 2 , pp. 193-194). In the life of a Christian, the new birth is considered the work of the first grace. The Articles of Religion , in Article XVII - Of Baptism, states that baptism is "a sign of regeneration or new birth." The Methodist Visitor in describing this doctrine, rebuking the individual: "'You must be born again.' Produce to God that He can do this work for you. Confess Him for your heart. 'Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.' "
Evangelicalism
Belief in the New Birth is an essential and distinctive element of Evangelical Christianity. For Evangelical Christians, the new birth is always before baptism. For some churches, it is synonymous with Baptism with the Holy Spirit; however, it is considered a different experience in Pentecostalism, the Charismatic Movement, and the Neo-charismatic movement.
"Although many evangelicals allow conversion to be a process, they generally see it as a specific and identifiable time moment when one simply and sincerely believes in Jesus Christ as a savior." They understand Romans 10: 9 to indicate a salvation requirement: "That if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord', and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved. "So," born again "means" saved "because to be saved, one must confess Jesus is God with one's mouth and believe in one's heart. Also, to be born again means to follow Romans 10:10 that "with your heart which thou trustest and justified, and with thy mouth declare thy faith and be saved".
Jehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses believe that the individual has no power to choose to be reborn, but God calls and selects his followers "from above". Only those who belong to the "144,000" are considered reborn.
Disagreements between denominations
The term "born again" is used by some Christian denominations, but there are differences of opinion about what the term means, and whether other denominational members are justified in claiming as born-again Christians.
A Catholic website says:
Catholics should ask Protestant people, "Are you reborn - how does the Bible understand the concept?" If the evangelicals are not baptized with water, he has not been reborn "the way of the Bible," regardless of what he might think.
On the other hand, the Evangelical site argues:
Another of the many examples is the Catholic who claims he is also "born again."... However, what Catholics are committing to is that he received his spiritual birth when he was baptized - whether as an infant or as an adult he entered Catholicism. That's not what Jesus meant when He told Nicodemus that he "should be born again" (John 3: 3-8). The use of a deliberate biblical term that has a different meaning for Catholics has become an effective tool on the ecumenical agenda of Rome.
The Reformed view of regeneration can be separated from other views in at least two ways.
First, Roman Catholic classics teach that regeneration occurs in baptism, a view known as the regeneration of baptism. Reformed theology has confirmed that regeneration can occur at any time in a person's life, even in the womb. This is not the result of baptism automatically. Second, it is common for many other evangelical branches in the church to speak of repentance and faith leading to regeneration (ie, people are reborn only after they practice saving faith). In contrast, Reformed theology teaches that original sin and total depravity deprive everyone of the moral capacity and willingness to exercise a saving faith.... The full regeneration of God's work of the Holy Spirit - we can not do anything to get it. Only God raised the elect from spiritual death to new life in Christ (Ephesians 2: 1-10).
History and usage
Historically, Christians have used various metaphors to describe the initiation ritual, that is, spiritual regeneration through the sacrament of baptism by the power of water and spirit. This remains a common understanding in most of the Christian world, held, for example, in Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, Anglicanism, Lutheranism, and in many Protestantism. However, some time after the Reformation, the Evangelicals attribute greater significance to the regenerated phrase as the experience of religious conversion (Heb. 10:16), symbolized by deep water baptism, and rooted in a commitment to a person having personal faith in Jesus Christ for salvation. This same belief, historically, is also an integral part of Methodist doctrine, and is connected with the doctrine of Justification.
Menurut EncyclopÃÆ'¦dia Britannica :
'Rebirth' is often identified with certain forms of 'repentance' which can be determined temporally.... With the voluntaristic type, rebirth is expressed in the new alignment of the will, in the liberation of new abilities and powers that have not yet developed in the person concerned. By intellectual type, this leads to the activation of the ability to perceive, to the breakthrough of "vision". With others it leads to the discovery of unexpected beauty in the natural order or the discovery of the mysterious meaning of history. With others, it leads to a new vision of moral life and its command, toward the realization of unconditional love of neighbor.... every affected person feels his life in Christ at a certain time as a "new life."
Menurut J. Gordon Melton:
Rebirth is a phrase used by many Protestants to describe the phenomenon of gaining faith in Jesus Christ. This is an experience when everything they teach as Christians becomes real, and they develop a direct and personal relationship with God.
Menurut Andrew Purves dan Charles Partee:
Sometimes the sentence seems to judge, making the distinction between true and nominal Christians. Sometimes... descriptive, like the difference between liberal and conservative Christians. Sometimes, this phrase seems historic, like the division between Catholicism and Protestant Christianity.... [term] usually includes the idea of ​​human choice in salvation and does not include the divine election view only by grace.
The term reborn has become closely related to evangelical Christian renewal since the late 1960s, first in the United States and then around the world. Perhaps related initially to the People of Jesus and the Christian resistance, born again comes to refer to the experience of repentance, accepting Jesus Christ as master and savior to be saved from hell and given eternal life with God in heaven. , and increasingly used as a term to identify devout believers. In the mid-1970s, reborn Christians are increasingly being mentioned in mainstream media as part of a reborn movement.
In 1976, Watergate Champ Colson's Conspirator
Colson describes his path to convictions in relation to his criminal prisons and plays an important role in strengthening the "born again" identity as a cultural construction in the US. He wrote that his spiritual experience followed the struggles and doubts sufficient to have "a personal encounter with God." He recalled:
while I am sitting alone staring at the sea I love, words I'm not sure I can understand or say falling from my lips: "Lord Jesus, I believe in you I accept you Please come into my life I am committed to You." With these few words... a thought arises with the depth of feeling in my heart. There is something more: strength and tranquility, a beautiful new assurance of life, fresh perception of myself in the world around me.
Jimmy Carter was the first President of the United States to publicly announce that he was reborn, in 1976. In the 1980 campaign, the three main candidates claimed that they had been reborn.
Sider and the Knippers stated that "the fallen Ronald Reagan elections are supported by a 61% vote of white Protestant 'reborn'."
The Gallup Organization reports that "In 2003, 42% of US adults said they were reborn or evangelical: the 2004 percentage was 41%" and that, "Black Americans are far more likely to identify themselves as born-again or evangelical, with 63 blacks said they were reborn, compared with 39% of white Americans.The Republicans were far more likely to say they were reborn (52%) than Democrats (36%) or independent (32%). "
Haiven calls "born-agains" a "type of intolerance." He said, "The instant and mindless medicines of reborn Christianity will be seen as a vast sanctuary by millions of North Americans." He continued, "Is this shelter really a recruitment camp for the right wing movement? It would be naive to think otherwise."
The Oxford American Religious and Political Handbook, referring to several studies, reporting "born-again" identification is associated with lower support for government anti-poverty programs. " It also notes that "reborn Christianity", "strongly shapes attitudes toward economic policy."
Name inspired by the term
The idea of ​​"rebirth in Christ" has inspired several common European names: Renà © France/Renà ©  © Netherlands, Renaat/Renate, Italy, Spain and Portugal Renato/Renata, Latin Renatus/Renata, all of which mean "born again" , "born again".
See also
- Altar call - invitation to become a Christian; provided in church services or events
- Baptismal regeneration - an overview of doctrinal debate on the effect of the baptism rite
- Born-again virgin - someone who, though not still a virgin, chose to live as a
- Dvija, or twice born - in Hinduism, someone who officially takes on the role of one of the first three castes
- Evangelism - the preaching of the Christian gospel to others with the object of repentance
- Justus Velsius - a 16th-century Dutch dissident promoting the view that through the new birth man can become Christlike
- Monergism - the belief that being reborn is entirely the work of God (and not the work of the believer)
- A sinner's prayer - the prayer of someone seeking forgiveness and a desire to become a Christian
References
External links
- The New Birth, John Wesley, No Speech. 45. Wesley's doctrine of being born again, and the argument that it is very important for Christianity.
- Monergistic regeneration? (Calvinist/Reformed) - discusses monergism, the view that the new birth is fully the work of God (as opposed to the synergy that teaches that believers are also active to some extent.)
- New Birth, the work of the 16th century by the anabaptist minister Menno Simons, c. 1537, revised c. 1550
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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